Return.. to what?

There is a sense of irony in current campaigning of brothers and sisters in Christ during this Election season. Many are decrying that our way of life, those Elephant years of Reagan will be doomed if we do not vote from Donald Trump. What I find puzzling is that many Christians want America to be "Great Again" and be like it was in the 1980's and 1990's. At the same time they want Jesus Christ to Return. Well there is a conflict in these two desires. If you want everything to return to the nineties and stay that way, you cannot claim to what Christ to return for if you read Matthew 24, Luke 18, 2 Thessalonians 2, and Revelation we discover that times are dark, full of war, death, disease and even decimation of the Church: "I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?" (Luke 18:8), "You will be hated by everyone on account of My name, but the one who perseveres to the end will be saved," (Matthew 10:22), "If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world," (John 15:19), "They will put you out of the synagogues (see Revelation 3:9). In fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God," (John 16:2, Islamist cutting Christian to pieces, and the Atheist Assaults could be part of fulfilling this verse), "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me," (Matthew 24:9), "And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind," (Revelation 9:15), "a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed," (Revelation 8:9), "The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water--the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter," (Revelation 8:9-10), "You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains." (Matthew 24:6-8). These are handful of verses from Christ himself to His Apostle, and they all paint a very harsh and difficult End of Days. So how can someone think that they can have Reagan Prosperity and Return of Christ? The Return features major destruction of life, a harsh world and survival that requires us to endure to the end (Matthew 24:10).

I am not telling anyone to vote, I am merely pointing out that there is a paradox for people who want a Elephant Year's America and the Return of Christ. For the path to Christ's Return will be full of plague, peril, and powers at war with one another. In essence to desire the world to go back to 1990's is to not want the Return of Christ. The Preterits believed that the whole world must be saved before Jesus Christ can return, but this does not align with the Bible (Luke 18:8, Matthew 10:22). Instead the carpet leading to Christ's Return is laid out with severe persecution, antichrist sentiment, executions of Christians, wars, famines, plagues, and more. Anti Christ sentiment is certainly growing in America. On one hand many Evangelicals want to stem this antichristian advance and restore the US to Christus, but to fulfill End time prophecy in the New Testament and for Christ to Return actually and ironically antichristian feeling is part of the plan. What I am trying to say is that prior to Jesus returning there won't be many humans left, much less many believers (Luke 18:8, Matthew 24:9). Jesus Christ Himself told us this is how it shall be, hatred for His followers and great destruction prior to His Coming. And yet we should be excited. The Apostle Paul tells us there is a crown that awaits those who expect, love, and seek Christ's return, "And now the prize awaits me--the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing." (2 Timothy 4:8).


I know many people are nostalgic, they want a world that was sympathetic and even admired their faith, but the truth is that if we want Jesus Christ to cease delaying (2 Peter 3:4-9) and to return quickly (Revelation 22:21), does it not stand to reason that this world must grow dark, full of destruction and death as the Scriptures foretell? How can we possibly believe God wants to suddenly make America "Great Again" if it means delaying His Return? Do we want Trump or the Trumpets to blow (Revelation 8:8-12); for Christ will Come upon the Trumpet Call, "For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first," (1 Thessalonians 15:52), and resurrection shall come at a trumpet blast, "It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed." (1 Corinthians 15:52). While I am not saying to vote for Donald Trump means you delay Christ's return, I am merely saying holding on to past years of a Christian America and tolerance of our beliefs is not going to help us prepare for the End Times (read Matthew 24). I think the duplicity, or perhaps Cognitive Dissonance in our hearts, we want the old America and the Alpha and Omega to establish His Kingdom, well the two don't actually align, for Christ to establish His Millennial Reign (Revelation 20:4-6. Zachariah 13 and 14) it will require prophecies being fulfilled (Matthew 24, Revelation, and more) which means an age of great sorrow, darkness, hardship, and suffering (see Revelation Chapters 3-13).
So I want to say, as saints and devout Christians we need to ask a very serious question. Do we want a Great America or the Great Reckoning? Do we want a return to old US or the Return of Christus? I know that many will say you can have both, I argue as I did above, how can you think you can have 1990's forever and want Christ to Return? Both cannot coincide, you either want America to be Great Again or you want the Great Alpha and Omega to Come on the clouds (Revelation 1:7)? I am not advocating vote for Hilary Clinton or to advance the Coming of Christ via our voting ticket. As Wolsingham said, "Does God need the dark intrigues of man to advance his kingdom? Is He not divine?" (Elizabeth 1998). I am not telling anyone to sink the USA or seek Communism, I am merely asking my brothers and sisters in Christ, do you care more about convenience and the good ol days of America, or do you seek Crown of Christ's Second Coming (2 Timothy 4:8)?